BGA rework is a topic about which volumes have been written, and in most cases the focus has been on component removal and replacement. However, equally important is the topic of BGA site modification, and the need for such modification arises often. A common type of BGA site modification is the need to add a jumper wire at a BGA site. One option is to run a jumper through a hole in the board. This method is normally used for ...Feature Story

We operate a troubleshooting, repair, fabrication facility. The circuit cards we see are between 5 to 10 years old. They are exposed to extremes in weather and humidity. After repair/rework we apply low VOC silicone as a conformal coating. Our problem is bubbles. We've tried heating the boards to varying degrees, as well as keeping them cooler. We used various types of ...Ask The Experts

Reworkable edge bond adhesives are finding increasing utility in high reliability and harsh environment applications. The ASICs and FPGAs often used in these systems typically require designs incorporating large BGAs or ceramic BGAs. For these high reliability and harsh environment applications, these packages typically ...Technical Library

WOW! A batch of circuit boards were drilled in a spot they weren't supposed to be drilled. This can be a tough mistake to recover from when dealing with today's complex, multi-layer circuit boards. As a result, the customer found himself with a scrap heap of worthless product. What to do? The area drilled had many circuits running through it. In addition to the top and bottom surfaces, there were ...Feature Story

Lithium-ion batteries provide laptops, smart phones, and tablet computers with reliable energy. However, electric vehicles using conventional lithium-ion batteries do not appear to be competitive with other technologies. This is largely due to currently utilized electrode materials such as graphite only being able ...Technology Briefing